German yachtsman kidnapped by terrorist group Abu Sayyaf

German yachtsman was kidnapped by Philippine-based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf from his yacht Rockall near Sulu Archipelago, which is part from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The yacht was on recreation voyage with two people from German nationalities on board, but heavy armed terrorists closed them by fast skiff and opened fire. The woman, who was identified as Sabrina Merz, was killed, while the 70-year-old man, identified as Jurgen Kantner, was kidnapped and taken in captivity. The yacht remained abandoned near the Sulu Archipelago and was later seen by local residents, who reported her to the military.

At the scene were dispatched local patrols, who boarded the abandoned yacht Rockall. On board was found the body of the killed German woman, who was later identified as Sabrina Merz. The military found a gun under the body of the killed woman.

“The body of a naked woman has been found in an abandoned yacht in Sulu”, said regional military spokesman, Major Filemon Tan. “The boat named Rockall, was discovered by a civilian, who alerted the authorities. The boat had the German flag on it”, added he. “The body found was naked and had several contusions to the face and was possibly raped”, said also Major Filemon Tan.

The self-proclaimed spokesperson for Abu Sayyaf, Muammar Askali, announced yesterday that they have a 70-year-old German captive. The authorities were allowed to have a phone call with the German citizen, who was identified as Jurgen Kantner. The authorities understood that the woman traveling with her was called Sabrina (later found that full name is Sabrina Merz). Muammar Askali, explained that woman opened fire against the group of militants and at response she was killed. The accident was described by the terrorists, as “unfortunate”.

There is no official information if a ransom for the kidnapped yachtsman was requested. The terrorists, military and German council joined forced in resolving the captivity situation.

Interesting information was released by the German media, as this is not the first time, when German couple was attacked at sea and kidnapped. In 2008, the Jurgen Kantner and Sabrina Merz were kidnapped by Somali pirates and kept in captivity for 50 days. After that was paid a ransom of 600,000 USD by the German state for their releasing. The state even retried his yacht an year later and the adventure of the yachtsman continued.